It’s About THEM... The Power of Empathy

By Steve Adubato, PhD

Very often, as leaders we talk about how WE see the world – our vision, our strategy, our plans. It’s critical to have a distinct vision and to clearly communicate it to the people we will be asking to help us get there. However, a truly well-rounded leader must also have the ability – and a burning desire – to empathize and care about those they are trying to lead and serve. This includes our audience and our stakeholders, those on our team, our peers, and our clients or customers. Simply put, we need to empathize with those who help us achieve what we need to get done every day and allow us to get credit when things go right (and yes, if you are a really good leader, take responsibility when things go wrong).

GOP Debate Reinforces Trump’s Lack of Leadership

By Steve Adubato, PhD

A lot happened in last night’s Fox News ‪GOP Debate, but for me two huge leadership issues played out and both were hard to watch on every level. The first was when Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly simply asked leading GOP candidate, Donald Trump, to explain his grotesque and totally unacceptable past descriptions of women including ‪”fat pigs,” ”dogs‪,” ”slobs” and ‪”disgusting animals.” Ever the showman, Trump tried to duck responsibility at first with a snarky one-liner saying he was only talking about ‪Rosie O’Donnell – as if that would make it acceptable. When Megan Kelly pressed him on the fact that this simply wasn’t true, Trump - who never is accountable for his past comments or actions (a terrible leadership trait) - launched into an absurd diatribe about political correctness and then accused Kelly of not being nice to him and threatened to be "not nice" to her for simply asking him a direct question about something he didn’t want to talk about.

Great Leaders Embrace Change

By Steve Adubato, PhD

In most cases, change can and should be a good thing if done at the right time, for the right reasons. Change keeps us on our toes and ready to turn obstacles into opportunities. However, leading BIG change is not for the faint of heart. Consider the following keys to leading and embracing change:

It’s Time to “Dump the Duds”

By Steve Adubato, PhD

When it comes to business development, we all want to have as many clients as possible, right? This thinking is especially prevalent in difficult, challenging, and uncertain economic times. We spend much of our time communicating in sales meetings pitching as hard as possible to prospective clients. We follow up over the phone, via e-mail, and any other way we can, trying to get prospects to sign on the dotted line so we can add them to our client list.

Donald Trump: Notoriety is NOT Leadership

By Steve Adubato, PhD

I appeared on CNN recently, offering commentary on the 2016 Presidential Campaign. During this segment, I was asked to explain the inexplicable success Donald Trump is having in recent polls of Republican voters. This is after Trump made off-the-wall and reprehensible comments talking about Mexican immigrants coming to the US, calling some of them “rapists” as well as those that “bring crime.” (Trump said he assumed some of them were good people.)

Are You Asking the Right Questions?

By Steve Adubato, PhD

Steve Adubato, PhD: "The Right Questions Build Relationships"

People are obsessed with coming up with the right answers to difficult problems and challenges in the workplace. In school, students are taught to come up with the correct answers in order to get a good grade.